


We need each other (to have, to hold)

by Emily_Davison



Series: You'll Be in My Heart [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Clingy Peter Parker, Codependency, Crying, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Character Death, Peter Parker Calls Tony Stark "Dad", Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has PTSD, Peter Parker is a Mess, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Separation Anxiety, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24270718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_Davison/pseuds/Emily_Davison
Summary: A month has passed since Tony picked Peter up from the hospital and during that time, they have formed a strong, unbreakable bond which comes with all of the ups and downs of parenthood...
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: You'll Be in My Heart [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723405
Comments: 16
Kudos: 243





	We need each other (to have, to hold)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ashleyparker2815](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashleyparker2815/gifts), [marvels_blue_phoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvels_blue_phoenix/gifts).



> This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful Ashley and the lovely Blue. You were both the first people to comment on my stories and I can't thank you enough for all of the support you have given me so far, you are always commenting on every single one of my chapters and I can't put into words how much it means to me. 
> 
> Ashley-you have given me my favourite Iron Dad fic (I will literally never stop re-reading All the Stars Align - seriously guys, please go read her stories, they're so original and are full of fluffy goodness and protective Tony and his spiderbaby) and you're ability to juggle several fics at once just amazes me! Thank you so much for everything you've done for me, I'm so excited to see what we both get out there next! :)
> 
> Blue- You're kindness is only outmatched by your wonderful fluffy Iron Dad fics, I'm so excited for your next update on Peter's Little Secret and the fics I know you have planned for the future, you definitely deserve more attention for your lovely stories. Thank you for the continued support on Ao3 and Tumblr, it means more to me than I can say! :)
> 
> I'm looking forward to sharing this one with all of you guys, it's one of the longest chapters I've written as there was a lot I wanted to include so let me know what you guys think and don't hesitate to share any prompts anyone may have for this series or my 'Beautiful Boy' series! :)

A month. It had been a month since Peter had unsuspectingly walked into the apartment he had lived in with his aunt and uncle for as long as he could remember and stumbled upon the only remaining family member he had ever known and loved, lying lifeless on the floor. A month since Tony Stark took him to the Compound and gifted him with a new home and everything that came with it, including the best father he could ever have asked for. About a year ago, Peter would not have even imagined that he could one day live with his personal hero, let alone comfortably refer to and address the great Iron Man as 'Dad'.

After a few weeks of living with the man and going about their daily activities together, like making egg and bacon breakfast baps for breakfast every morning (because Tony had argued persistently that eggs should always be eaten with rashers to 'soften' the meat and make it easier to chew); tinkering for hours down in the lab and binge watching film trilogies or sagas like _The Lord of the Rings_ and _Star Wars_. During this time, Peter had gotten to know the 'real' Tony Stark underneath the charming, extravagant facade the man usually played up for his celebrity status. Tony Stark was so much more than the snarky billionaire and selfless hero the Avengers knew him for. Underneath all the layers built up to protect him from the emotional pain he'd been subjected to in the past, Tony had a soft, vulnerable and unlimitless attentive, undeniably affectionate side which he only allowed the people closest to him to see. These were Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, but most of all, Peter Parker. He was a constant warm presence in every moment of Peter's day and had come to embody everything the young, impressionable boy needed from a father, becoming well attuned to the teen's mannerisms and behaviours; always seeming to know exactly what to do and say.

Physical contact had become like second nature to the billionaire when he interacted with his little man. The kid had changed him for the better as, in the past, he hadn't been one to rely on social contact and now with Peter, things had become very different. Peter soaked up every arm around his shoulder, every warm caress of his cheek, every soft touch of calloused fingers through his curls like a sponge and Tony was well accustomed to dishing out these small comforts and gentle smiles to his little spider on a daily basis. Peter had arrived at the Compound emotionally traumatized and touch starved and Tony had taken it upon himself to build the shattered, hallow shell of the teen back up piece by piece. They had built a life together over the past four weeks, it wasn't perfect and they still had issues they needed to work through, but they loved each other. They reminded each other every night when they went to bed and even though some may see the transition from mentor to adopted father as a shock for the 'egotistical' Tony Stark, it didn't matter. They were happy.

...

"I wanna try going back to school," Peter announced one night when they were eating dinner. 

Tony nearly dropped the spaghetti on the fork that been making its way to his mouth and he stared at the teen in surprise. Peter hadn't shown any interest in returning to school in the past couple weeks; they hadn't spoken about it as Tony wanted to give the kid as much time as he needed to grieve and come to terms with his emotions. He didn't care if the Avengers thought differently. Tony knew his kid better than anybody, he'd been there every step of the way and had dealt with all of the repercussions which came from taking a grieving child in; some of them had been positive but it hadn't always been easy. He knew that Peter wasn't fully healed yet, no matter how much the kid tried to put on his own facade like he did when he was in front of the camera and Peter's mental well-being always came above his education.

"How long have you been stewing over that one, bud?" Tony asked, gathering the pasta back up and shoveling it in his mouth, observing the teen intently. He didn't want to overstep the mark by asking too many questions, as Peter often got overwhelmed easily by the pressure, especially because of his increased sensors since the spider bite. 

"I don't know, I've just been thinking about it," Peter said, looking down at his bowl as he twirled spaghetti round his fork. "I miss Ned and I guess I should probably go back at some point. I've missed a lot."

"You don't have to do anything you don't think you're ready for yet, Pete. No one is going to think any differently of you if you want to wait a bit more," Tony spoke, reassuringly.

"No, I want to. I think it'll be good to go back to normal," Peter affirmed, shooting him a small smile which didn't quite meet his eyes. The older man could see that the kid was trying to be strong, to put up a mask to allude the fact that he was completely whole again, but Tony knew better. That glazed over, distant look which often made the elder wonder whether the boy was still in the same room as him was still in the kid's eyes, no matter how much he smiled and laughed at the billionaire's bad jokes.

"Alright, kid. If you want to do it, we'll give it a go," Tony agreed, reaching over to warmly squeeze the boy's shoulder. "I'm proud of you," he spoke, sincerely, smiling broadly.

"Why? I've not even done anything yet." Peter laughed - one of Tony's favourite sounds in the world.

"You've started to talk about it and that's more than enough for me," the man countered, passionately.

...

Peter slept in Tony's bed the night before he was scheduled to return to school.

They had had their conversation a few days ago and it didn't take long for Peter to get his equipment ready again and for Tony to contact the school to inform them that the teen would be attending the following Monday after four weeks of absence. He knew the kid was stubborn like him once he got an idea in his head he was well set in his ways, but in all honesty, Tony had doubts about whether Peter had made the right decision. This would be the first time that they were going to be apart and although the genius wanted his kid to go back to normality after all that he'd been through, he knew that the teen was still fragile, but he also knew that he would miss his little man so much after spending every hour of the day together. As for Peter, by the way he was cuddling into his side and bunching his tank top into a fist, made Tony conclude that this clinginess and 'codependency' wasn't just on his end.

"Am I being stupid?" Peter spoke up after a few moments of laying in each other's arms, listening to the calming sounds of each other breathing and the steady rise of Tony's sturdy chest underneath the youth's ear. The kid's body had gone rigid and his breathing less frequent just before he broke the silence, one of the tell tail signs that the older man had come well accustomed to that he was musing on a deep thought and was deciding whether to voice it.

"Of course not. Why do you say that, bud?" Tony asked, gently running his fingers through Peter's hair, caressing the scalp and braiding individual strands around each digit. It had become one of his favourite things to play with his kid's curls and he found that the harmless activity soothed him just as much as it did Peter.

Peter sat up a bit so he could look the man in the eye. "I dunno, I just...I don't know whether..." He stammered, struggling to get the right words out and Tony shot him a reassuring smile, tenderly brushing a stray curl from the boy's eye, encouraging him to continue. Peter returned the smile and murmured, softly, "I don't know whether I can leave you yet. I'll really miss you, Dad."

Tony's heart instantly filled with warmth when his little spider addressed him as such and he was happy that Peter was being honest with him; he was going to miss the kid like crazy too. They had become so used to relying on each other for emotional support that he couldn't imagine his life without the teen and vice versa. "I'll miss you too, Pete, but there's nothing stopping you from texting me whenever you want, right? If it all gets too much and you need me to come and get you, I'm just a phone call away," Tony spoke, earnestly, dark eyes glistening with unspoken affection for his kid.

"I know...it's just...hard, I guess..." Peter murmured, ducking his head so he could tuck it underneath the man's chin again, nuzzling in and breathing in the smell of his Dad's aftershave and motor oil from the lab that seemed to cling to his skin even after a thorough scrub in the shower.

"If it's any consolation, it's going to be even worse for me," Tony spoke, softly, bringing his lips to his son's hair and pressing a kiss there, inhaling the sweet scent of green apples, the smell of Peter's favourite shampoo.

The boy's shoulders quaked slightly as he chuckled, lowly at the man's reply. There was no way that Tony could possibly miss him as much as he would. He had come to rely on his adopted father for so much and it was difficult to imagine how he'd get through six hours of school without him. "Not likely."

" _Very_ likely. I'm gonna miss my little man running about the place," Tony murmured, lips trailing down to place a kiss to the spot just above the boy's right ear.

"'M not little," the teen protested, half-halfheartedly, snuggling even closer against the man's chest.

"You're practically a baby, kiddo," Tony hummed, chest vibrating against Peter's ear as he rested it over the billionaire's heart. "Now come on, let's go to sleep, I've gotta get you up early tomorrow," the man teased, lightly. Peter didn't protest when he leaned over to flick the light off, but he did release a heavy sigh, which indicated to Tony that his kid was still stewing over negative thoughts. Hopefully things would go well for them tomorrow.

...

Tony was dismayed to hear from Pepper that he needed to attend a business meeting at seven o'clock in the evening. He had promised Peter that he would be with him to watch movies and eat junk food until they fell into a food coma, after the teen returned home from school. It had taken plenty more gentle words of encouragement from him to eventually coax the kid out of the car when they were parked outside the school gates and Peter was only too quick to call the man on his lunch break in a tearful state, claiming how much he missed him, but Tony reassured the boy that he only had to get through a few more hours and then they would have the whole evening together.

Now Tony had to break it to the kid that they would have to scratch their plans because of some last minute business meeting. He supposed ordinary life had to reboot for him as well as his kid, as for the last month he had refused to get involved with business and superhero work until he was certain that Peter had settled in. He picked Peter up from school, heart both melting and breaking when he took in how happy the teen was to see him and drove them home to make his son's favourite Thai green curry, an impending sense of dread sweeping through him as he thought about how to bring the bad news up.

"-ad? _Dad_?"

Tony was snapped out of his thoughts when Peter clicked his fingers in front of his face. "Hm? What is it, buddy?" He'd zoned out for a few minutes whilst trying to form the right words to tell his kid that he would be leaving very soon.

Peter was observing him with intelligent eyes streaked with concern, an expression which oddly reflected one that crossed his own quite often when was with the teen. "You've got the stove on too high," Peter pointed out and Tony glanced down at the simmering curry, which was now threatening to bubble over the side of the pan.

"Shit, he muttered, turning the stove down and double backing to peak at the boy, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Don't quote me on that, kid," he added, before getting their bowls out of the cupboard so he could dish up, avoiding Peter's gaze like the plague. The teen often displayed a wisdom that was well beyond his fifteen years and it always made him feel a peculiar mix between pride and the uncomfortable realization that he was being studied by his own kid.

"What's going on, Dad? You're acting really weird," Peter said, leaning on the desktop with his fore-arm.

Tony sighed, heavily, knowing that he couldn't keep up the pretense any longer as this boy was too bright and he would get to the bottom of the issue eventually. "I've been called into a business meeting tonight, buddy, and I don't know how long I'll be gone," he said, wanting to look the teen in the eye when he broke the news, but he was too occupied with dishing up their curries.

Peter was quiet as the older man took their bowls to the table and Tony knew that the kid's head was probably haywire as he processed the fact that he was going to spend the majority of the evening on his own. The air between them was uncomfortably tense as they ate their meals, so much so that it could be cut with a knife and what made the atmosphere worse was that Tony knew that he couldn't say anything to make the situation any better.

A small sniffle instantly cut off his train of thought and he glanced up from the last of his curry to Peter, whose head was bowed as he quickly reached up to swipe at his eyes. Tony's heart broke at the sight and it shattered to pieces when the teen looked up after sensing that man's gaze on him, big chocolate brown eyes red with unshed tears.

"Whoa, buddy! What's wrong?" Tony reached forward to place his hand over Peter's smaller one, giving it a warm squeeze and eyeing his kid with worry.

Peter whimpered, a few tears trailing down his cheeks and he roughly wiped them away with his free hand. "S-sorry, I'm just b-being a baby," he muttered, miserably, trying to pull his hand away but Tony only tightened his grip.

"No, bud. Come on, talk to me, Pete," Tony encouraged, softly, stroking the back of Peter's hands with his thumb.

"I-I just...I know you have to go, b-but I'll miss you so much, Dad!" Peter cried and this time Tony gave him his hand back so he could wipe at his watery eyes, feeling a lump in his throat as he gazed at his distraught kid. "Do you really have to go?" Peter asked, desperation dripping through his tone.

"Yeah, kiddo, I'm really sorry. I've missed too much in the past month so I should probably show my face at some point," Tony spoke, tenderly, smiling sympathetically and he moved to gather their dishes, Peter immediately getting up to follow the man's steps. The movement seemed to spur Peter's anxiety even more and his crying worsened as he reached forward to grab onto his Dad's arm, tightly.

"Please don't go, Dad, please!" Peter sobbed, voice raising in pitch as his fear overcame him and when Tony looked at him, his eyes were wide and tears. "I-I d-don't know what I'm going to do without you, please stay, Dad."

If Tony's heart wasn't already broken enough, now it felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed in the chest as he listened to his kid begging him to stay. It was inevitable that he would have to leave at some point, just like Peter had to go back to school, but he couldn't believe how quickly this had crept up on them. As he had been with Peter through all of the teen's ups and downs, they had come to depend on each other for many things and with the kid's fragile state of mind, it was completely understandable that he would have some form of separation anxiety from him.

Tony abandoned the dishes at the sink and turned to face the boy, wanting nothing more than to hold his kid and stop him crying. "C'mere, baby," he murmured, wrapping his arms around the boy and pressing an affectionate kiss to the side of his head. He stroked the back of Peter's curly head as he spoke, "Shh, it's going to be alright, bud, I promise. I'll only be gone for a couple hours at the most, so you're going to have a nice hot bath, stick a film on and I'll probably be back by the time it finishes." He knew the kid loved his baths and lounging on the sofa binge watching TV shows or movies as it seemed to act as a comfort for the boy and make him feel safe and at this point, Tony was trying to come up with ways to distract the teen from his departure.

Tony felt Peter's chin jut against his shoulder when the boy nodded and sniffled as he nuzzled his head into the crook of the man's neck. Peter pulled back after a couple moments and wiped his face with the heels of his palms, the elder regarding his movements with soft eyes. "Okay, sorry for-" Peter began, but was immediately cut off.

"Nope, there's no way you're apologizing, kid. I'd never get mad at you for expressing how you are feeling, you know that. Alright, buddy?" Tony said, firmly yet gently, framing his son's face and bringing him in the press a kiss to his temple. Peter only nodded, but the older man knew that his words were getting through to him. "Good. Righty-o, I'll go run you that bath, why don't you get started on these dishes for me?" Peter nodded again. "Thanks, kiddo." Tony ran his fingers through the teen's curls for a self-indulgent moment, not missing the way his kid leaned into the touch or gripped onto his AC/DC shirt just a little bit longer, before reluctantly letting him go. God, he loved this kid so much.

...

The meeting was long, as always, but it seemed much worse when Tony knew that he had a lonely teenager to get back to. The moment they were dismissed, he was up and out of the door before anybody could even stop him to ask what the rush was for. No body bar the Avengers, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey knew about Peter yet and Tony had recently started discussing with them about arranging a press conference so he could announce to the world that he had adopted a child, but he wanted to wait until he could raise the idea with his kid first. It was nine o'clock; the endless chatter had lasted for about three hours and the billionaire couldn't wait to get home to his son, but before the elevator doors slid shut, Pepper just managed to dash in beside him.

"Tony, I wanted to catch you to see how Peter is doing..." She gasped, clutching her chest as she caught her breath from running after him.

Tony smiled, warmly, as he always seemed to do whenever anybody mentioned Peter's name and it had failed to go unnoticed by Pepper or the other Avengers, they all found it incredibly endearing and were touched by Tony's obvious commitment and affection for the boy. "He's doing much better, but he did get pretty upset when I told him that I had to leave him tonight," Tony recounted, sadly. He hated how he would soon have to work on the teen's separation anxiety because he couldn't stay with him all the time and Peter had proved today that he could go to school and stay for the whole day, so he knew that they would be able to work on that when it came to it. 

"Poor kid." Pepper smiled in understanding. "He's used to having you all to himself all the time."

"Yeah." He chuckled in agreement. "I left him watching _Star Wars_ for probably the tenth time now, so hopefully that's got him settled down."

She laughed at this and Tony's smile broadened at the sight; she always looked so beautiful when she laughed. He would have to arrange to spend some more time with her; perhaps invite her over to hang out with him and Peter at home. "Bet you can't wait to get back to your baby," she teased, lightly. It was a joke, but what warmed Tony's heart was that she couldn't be more right.

"Mhm..." He hummed, a twinkle in his eye as he mused on the comment. "My baby, I like that..." He hadn't expected to develop such strong feelings for the boy in such a short amount of time, but it was hard not to become smitten with that kid. He had completely taken over Tony's life for the better and he couldn't imagine living without that little spider.

...

Peter was fast asleep on the sofa by the time he got back to the Compound. The teen was still wearing one of Tony's old hoodies which the man had wordlessly handed to him when he came out of the steamy bathroom a few hours earlier, the boy accepting it with a grateful smile which warmed the elder's heart. The sweatshirt was too big on Peter's smaller, slender form so it hung loosely past his waistline and formed sweater-paws over his hands, but it smelt like Tony's cologne and the scent of it always soothed the boy because he could pretend that his Dad was right there with him.

Tony smiled, softly, at the sight of Peter curled up, his curls draped across his fore-head and mouth hanging open slightly as small snores and sleepy snuffles escaped him. He was just perfect, Tony felt like the luckiest man on Earth as he took in the sight of his beautiful son. The older man quietly placed his bag down, hung his coat up and crept over to the sofa, noticing that FRIDAY had turned off the movie. It must have finished about an hour or so ago. He dropped to a crouch and tenderly stroked the hair from Peter's eyes and the boy began to stir under the familiar touch of his father's calloused, warm fingers.

A sleepy smile crossed his young face. "Dad," he said, happily, and Tony smiled, lovingly. He would never grow tired of hearing that word come from his son and he caressed Peter's cheek with his thumb, unconditional love emanating from the simple touch.

"Hey, baby, you ready for bed?" He asked and Peter nodded, rising sluggishly and leaning into the man's body heat as they made their way to the bedrooms. He didn't think twice about tucking the teen in, because he had been away and his kid deserved some extra pampering. He pulled the duvet up to Peter's chin, making sure to gently lift the boy's leg from where it was draped over the covers when he collapsed onto the mattress, and tucked it underneath the sheet, bending down to press a kiss to his son's curls and then placing one on his fore-head just because he could.

"Night, buddy. Love you tons," he murmured.

"Love you too, Dad." Peter sighed, sleepily, the soft tingle of his Dad's goatee scratching against his skin making him feel safe and loved and he drifted off to sleep to welcome sweet dreams...


End file.
